Cool Dude

A starling in his spring outfit. Sturnus vulgaris.

I have a completely new colony of starlings this spring. There used to be six pairs nesting in and around my house, each raising at least one, and sometimes three clutches a year. My summers seemed to be a continual cacophony of hungry chicks calling for more food. Then about this time last year after they had begun to build their nests the starlings all disappeared. In a strange way the summer was quiet, and I really missed them. There was just one that visited and called that single downward note that the others reply to, but no replies came. It was rather sad.

During the winter a new community formed. I could tell they were different because their songs were unfamiliar, and they perched in different places. They are taking over the old nesting places, though there are not so many birds as there were.


At last I completed my 365 Day Book and submitted it. Hard to do because I felt there were many things I could perhaps do to improve it. This made me think of the words of Chuck Jones, the creator of the Roadrunner cartoon, “An artist doesn’t finish his work- he abandons it.”